Quote:
Originally posted by herk_jockey

You would have to fly in a straight and level slow climb for quite a long time just to get some altitude/energy that would take only seconds to fritter away in a turning encounter with an enemy plane. Then it's back to another slow climb, and hope the enemy is just vulnerable.
(I think you've characterized the essence of WWI dogfighting limitations rather well here) \:\)

From the words of veteran Camel pilot Captain Arthur H. Cobby RFC/AFC:

Of course, in this early kind of fighting, the man who wins is just the better of a couple of very dud fighters. You fly all possible ways except the right, jerking the machine about, yanking it here and there, and so on. Later when one has become accustomed to the enemy tactics, and has had perhaps a dozen combats, and been in a good many dog-fights, he deliberates, and never goes into a scrap unless he has the Hun where he wants him. When an experienced pilot is out waiting for single enemy machines, the hostile pilot he is stalking is as good as dead before even a shot is fired, and it just requires that final impetus to send him under - to such a fine art has his aerial fighting been reduced.

To read the full text of this excellent article on WWI combat tactics check here:

http://www.australianflyingcorps.org/story/2005/2/24/95913/4564

What was never achieved by Red Baron, or by any other WWI flight sim of the past, is the ability to actually hunt within the game's limited combat arena, this because of the lack of high-fidelity environmental effects, and the inabilty of our PC's and older game engines to render sighting visuals at realistic ranges. Essentially Red Baron, and all other WWI flight sims from the 90's modeled WWI combat as fighting within a "fish bowl". For this reason, simulated engagements often only recreated (or degenerated) into close-in dogfighting, because the true hunting and maneuvering to contact that epitomized WWI aerial combat in its most advance form was impossible to achieve......the games simply could not recreate the visual fidelity of skies full of realistic clouds, or sun glare effects, or the spotting of enemy flights at extended ranges that allowed for experienced leaders to maneuver for advantage before the attack (or not). ;\)

Although we can read about, and understand WWI aerial tactics, we've truly never been able to wholly simulate these tactics in our favorite sims of the past. But now, with the higher quality visuals allowed by sims like IL-2/FB, and in other advance-rendering sims like CFS3, we're starting to see what can be achieved in this arena with preparing the aerial battlefield to enable combat maneuvering (before we're forced into "lock-down" type dogfighting).

Actually, although Herk Jockey is perfectly correct in his understanding of the dynamics of the dogfight, and the consequences of losing energy in a turning engagement, we've not had a chance to experience the hunting aspect of WWI aerial warfare, because we've not had a WWI flight sim actually recreate the high-fidelity environment needed for us to experience anything but myopic in-fighting (no pun intended). \:D

With the smaller differentials in performance displayed by WWI aircraft, and the smaller rates for closing and extending from combat, often once a pilot committed to the dogfight, much was left to luck........and afterall, experienced pilots and leaders tried to minimize what was left to chance.

I for one look forward to experiencing what I consider a truer test of simulated aerial combat in WWI, the "hunt" and the "maneuvering" that occurred while pilots and flights were spotted (at range), and undertook the effort to effect advantage.......before any guns started chattering away.

As Cobby intimated in with his "dicta".....Later when one has become accustomed to the enemy tactics, and has had perhaps a dozen combats, and been in a good many dog-fights, he deliberates, and never goes into a scrap unless he has the Hun where he wants him.....to such a fine art has his aerial fighting been reduced.

Just some of my opinion on comparing history to sims.......or sims to history.